Archive for March, 2009

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April giveaway contest: DIY displays!

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

In our April newsletter going out this week (sign up to receive it!), we have a great discussion of do-it-yourself display ideas…  Here’s how to take that idea, run with it, and win a prize in our April blog contest!

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Craft / jewelry displays?

In jewelry suppliers’ catalogs, you can find many display and packaging options for selling your wares.  But often you can increase customer’s interest, decrease your overhead costs, and grow your craft jewelry business–with a more personal touch!

Our newsletter article brings lots of great ideas for inexpensive, do-it-yourself (DIY) displays.  Whether it’s re-using packaging, incorporating natural materials,upcycling “vintage” items or going seasonal, you can do a lot with a little.

We’d love to hear what additional DIY display ideas you’ve used or that you’ve seen.  Leave a comment here to tell us about (or send an image of) your fave DIY display in our April blog competition, and you could win one of our famous goodie bags!

For other types of advice on running a strong business, check out our new list of crafts business tips.  Happy show season!

PS:  The winners of our March blog drawing have been randomly drawn.  Congratulations to SusanSW and Beadsophy!

Posted in contest, Grow your business | 14 Comments »

Another use for… Orange miracle beads

Monday, March 30th, 2009

Looking for another market for your beaded productions? How about fishermen…or more accurately, fish?

Mmmm, beads!

Mmmm, beads!

It turns out that beads make good bait for certain fish.  Trout think orange-colored Miracle beads are salmon eggs, and will try to eat them.  Steelhead, less easily fooled, just think the beads are inferior to their own eggs and try to move them away–which gets them caught on the hook.

Local anglers have told us that the shine of the bead catches the fish’s eye very successfully.  They put one bead on the line with a hook below it and a bobber on the top of the line.  Both the 8mm and the 4mm sizes have been used.

This makes us curious, what other beads can you use in lures, artificial flies, etc.?  What about the other orange beads, like opaque glass ones?  Share your experiences and ideas in a comment below!

March news: New monthly lottery, right here on the Rings & Things blog.  Here’s how it works:
* You enter by leaving comments. Comment on any March post(s).
* At the end of March, I’ll randomly draw 2 winners of surprise goodie packs! …So read the blog regularly to see if you won!

Posted in Grow your business, multipurposing | 6 Comments »

Multi-purposing your art beads: Beadable pen findings (& more)

Friday, March 27th, 2009

Rings & Things has introduced a popular line of beadable-pen findings, perfect for displaying art beads!

These pens are the perfect partner for any bead artisan’s wares.  (Lampwork? Clay? The possibilities go on…)  They’re also a great way of showing customers that they can “multi-purpose” any beads they buy from you.

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Artists can set off the charms of their glass, ceramic, metal or other bead creations to maximum advantage by pairing them with a choice of pen colors.  A range of seven hues, from pearl white or matte silver to burgundy or copper, is on hand.

Made of genuine brass alloy, these blue-ink beadable ballpoints have an anodized finish. Each pen is 6″ long with a 2.5″ beadable section (adjustable by 0.125″).  The pen nib retracts with a twist.  The rod (mandrel) is 3/32″, perfect for showing off lampwork beads with 2.5mm holes or greater. The metal casing has good heft, unlike plastic varieties.  The shorter threads of the rod screw into the base of the pen.

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These pens become even more of a permanent treasure with the addition of optional ink refills.  Refills are offered separately in either black or blue ink.

We carry an ever-growing line of ‘beadable’ specialty findings, from magnifying glasses to lighter covers to bookmarks.  Keep an eye on our site for more new items that you can bead in various ways!

Have a favorite beadable finding?  Looking for one but haven’t found just the right thing yet?  Leave a comment below to talk about it!

March news: New monthly lottery, right here on the Rings & Things blog.  Here’s how it works:
* You enter by leaving comments. Comment on any March post(s).
* At the end of March, I’ll randomly draw 2 winners of surprise goodie packs! …So read the blog regularly to see if you won!

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Posted in Grow your business, multipurposing, New products, Trendspotting | 4 Comments »

Bulletin: Salt Lake City bead show cancelled — Boise is still on!

Thursday, March 26th, 2009

We’re sorry to inform everyone, our Friday (03/27/2009) bead show in Salt Lake City, Utah has been cancelled.  Our crew got stuck in Denver, Colorado and couldn’t get through the snow that a surprise blizzard brought.  So they weren’t able to set up our show in Salt Lake.

We regret the inconvenience to our Utah customers, and we’ll be back in town soon!

Idaho customers:  Our Boise bead show scheduled for Sunday is still on.  See you there!

–Dave

March news: New monthly lottery, right here on the Rings & Things blog.  Here’s how it works:
* You enter by leaving comments. Comment on any March post(s).
* At the end of March, I’ll randomly draw 2 winners of surprise goodie packs! …So read the blog regularly to see if you won!

Tags:
Posted in About Rings & Things, bead shows | 1 Comment »

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